The Mission
by Lucky Chan
Summary: “There is very little hope that Hokage-sama might still be alive.” Hyuga Hinata knew this, and yet she was still determined to carry out her mission… to save the Hokage, before it was too late. (Set in the future; NaruHina)


**The Mission**

**_by Misty (a.k.a. Lucky Chan)_**

_There is very little hope that Hokage-sama might still be alive._

That was what Hyuga Neji had said to her, as she and her team departed the village for their mission. She had pushed his words at the back of her mind then, but now, standing alone on the branches of one of the tallest trees in the notorious Forest of Death, the words suddenly filled her with a cold dread.

She lifted her palms, entwined her fingers, and raised them to her lips. "Byakugan!" she whispered. Still nothing. Her pale, piercing eyes now saw beyond the trees, into the distance, but all she could see was the wild rippling of the leaves as the wind swept past them.

Her hands dropped to her sides, and she closed her eyes, leaning her head on the tree trunk. She could feel it again, her old lack of confidence, threatening to break through the calm self-possesion she now displayed. Could she, once the unwanted daughter of the Hyuga clan, really accomplish so important, and so _hopeless_, a mission?

_That's a really strange thing to think, even for you, Hinata. Of course you can._

Hinata opened her eyes, and smiled. He would say something like that, if he could see her now.

_Naruto…_she thought, and her eyes steeled as she clasped her hands again, pushing her fears aside. She activated her Byakugan, and continued searching for any other sign of life amongst the trees.

It did not matter if she really could do this mission or not. She had to believe she could, and still go on, even if her will was the only thing she had left to go on with.

_I know he would do the same thing, if he was here—_

Hinata suddenly stopped, her eyes widening. She hastily brought out her map and her radio from her jacket, and she sent out an alarm for the other members of her search team.

"What is it, Hinata-neechan?"

Hinata's eyes darted up from her map. "There's still no sign of Hokage-sama, but I have found one of the children." The grip she had on her radio tightened. "It's Uchiha Shizuka. "

"You mean Sasuke-sensei's daughter?"

"That's good news, Hinata-sama!"

"Yes." Hinata smiled, and went on, "We'll all meet at that location. Please hurry—I fear she's badly injured. "

"All right. We'll be there, Hinata-neechan."

"Good. Over and out." Hinata jumped from her tree branch, and hurried to the clearing where she had found the little girl.

Konohamaru, one of the members of her search team, was already there when she arrived. He was already checking on the little girl, and he looked up at Hinata as she approached.

"Shizuka-chan seems to be all right, Hinata-neechan," he reported, "—physically, that is. She seems to have suffered some sort of shock. I tried talking to her, but she wouldn't speak at all."

He stepped back, shaking his head ruefully at Hinata. "This was just supposed to be a field trip in celebration of the children's graduation, and this happened…"

"You know that Hokage-sama had long been expecting such an attack from Hidden Cloud," Hinata said. "These wars we fight with the other villages—they never end, since power is something that people cannot have enough of."

"I didn't mean the attack by Hidden Cloud, Hinata-neechan. I meant this…this betrayal…" His eyes narrowed, and his voice shook as he spoke, his tone grating, laced with anger. "Yuzuki has a lot to answer for."

Hinata could not trust herself to speak about the matter. Instead, she kneeled in front of the little girl, Uchiha Shizuka. She realized that, although the girl's clothes were covered with blood, none of that blood was hers.

Shizuka's blue-green eyes were fixed on the ground, and she did not even look up when Hinata took her hand.

"Shizuka," Hinata murmured. "It's all right. We're here to save Hokage-sama and the children. There's nothing to be afraid of."

_There's nothing to be afraid of._ She had said the same words earlier to Nara Inoue, the boy who had radioed for help when the attack begun. _We're sending reinforcements to your teachers right now, so they'll be fine—_

_We're being attacked here as well, Hinata-sama! By Yuzuki-sensei! And our other teachers aren't here to protect us—_

Yuzuki-sensei?_ But don't worry, Inoue, Hokage-sama is still there to protect you—_

_But Hinata-sama! Hokage-sama's chakra has been sealed off! And now we can't—_

_Inoue?_

_Inoue!_

_Answer us! Inoue!_

There had been no answer from Inoue then, just as there was no response from Shizuka now. Most of the Konoha shinobi went to help the academy teachers fight off the attacking Hidden Cloud ninjas, for the onslaught from the Hidden Cloud ninjas was swift and deadly. They had to be kept out of the village, at all costs.

But they also needed to search for Hokage-sama and the children. Hinata volunteered to go, and she lead her own team to search for them. Her team was all the village could spare.

She fervently hoped it wasn't their corpses that they would come to find.

"Shizuka," Hinata said, "I know it's hard for you, but we need your help, before it's too late to save them…"

"It already is too late." Shizuka buried her face in her arms and curled her knees, seeming to draw her whole body into herself.

Konohamaru was at Shizuka's side at once, and he stared hard at the little girl.

"What do you mean, Shizuka?" Hinata said, stroking the little girl's hair.

"It's all my fault. And now—Hokage-sama's dead."

Hinata's hand froze in midair, and for a moment, her heart stopped its beating.

Konohamaru had stood up, his voice shaking as he began to speak.

"You can't mean that, Shizuka," he said, and he glared at Shizuka through two narrowed eyes. "You know Hokage-sama can't be defeated that easily, and not by someone like Yuzuki, either."

Shizuka looked up at Konohamaru, bitterness and guilt reflected deep in her emerald eyes. "He knew that," she said. "Which is why he needed someone who could seal off Hokage-sama's chakra. So I…I…"

"What exactly did you do, Shizuka?" Konohamaru demanded, although the look in his eyes betrayed that he already knew the answer, but was still trying hard to deny it.

The little girl flinched under his glare, and she hung her head.

"I was the one who sealed off Hokage-sama's chakra."

Konohamaru stared at the little girl, dumbfounded.

"It's true, Konohamaru-sensei."

"How could you?" Konohamaru finally blurted out, and he gripped her wrists. "_Why_, Shizuka?You betrayed Hokage-sama—no, you betrayed _Konoha_ itself!"

Hinata hastily stood up, and she held Konohamaru's shoulder, shaking her head at him. "Calm down, Konohamaru-kun. I'll handle this." He was still glaring at Shizuka, but he nodded and turned away.

Hinata sat down beside the little girl. "Please, Shizuka. You have to tell us where Hokage-sama and the other children are."

There was still no answer, only the sound of the wind still rushing past the tree leaves.

"I know you would never betray Konoha willingly," she murmured.

"But I did, Hinata-sama," Shizuka said, and this time, her voice broke as she spoke. "How can you be sure that I will never betray you again? Just as—just as my father did, long ago…"

_She knows_? Hinata thought, startled for a moment. _What else did Yuzuki tell this poor girl? _ She did not let her surprise show, however, and instead she raised Shizuka's head, her pale eyes now boring into the little girl's own.

"I don't know what Yuzuki-sensei told you about your father," she said, not unkindly. "But I am sure he did not tell you the whole truth."

"But how do you know—"

"Because Hokage-sama believed in your father, even then," Hinata said. "Just as I believe in you, even now. You're my daughter's best friend, are you not? She's a really good judge of character—like Hokage-sama is."

"Hinata-sama!" Shizuka finally was able to weep, and she buried her face in Hinata's shoulder, her whole frame racking with her sobs.

Hinata cradled the little girl in her arms as she wept. She carressed Shizuka's long black hair, thinking of her own daughter, trapped somewhere in this forest, fighting off Yuzuki's attack—if he hadn't already killed her by now. Hinata fought off the wave of despair that suddenly washed over her. She had to stay strong. Her daughter needed her. Uchiha Shizuka needed her.

And Hokage-sama needed her.

"Hokage-sama is still trapped, somewhere underground," Shizuka said finally, her voice breaking with every word. She sat up, and pointed to a cluster of bushes not far from they were. "W—with the other children. And Hatsue-chan. She protected me and helped me escape, even when I already betrayed them all…"

"Then this blood is…?" Hinata's eyes widened in alarm, fearing the worst for her daughter.

"Not Hatsue-chan's," Shizuka said. "But I was in front of Hokage-sama when Yuzuki-sensei…when he…" She could not go on, and she buried her face once more in Hinata's bosom.

Hinata stood up, and carried the still weeping little girl over to the other members of her search team. Yoshino Kaede and Udon had already arrived, and they were standing with Konohamaru.

"Shizuka-chan!" Kaede said, looking relieved, and she came forward to get the little girl from Hinata.

"I'm glad you're all right, Shizuka-chan." Udon heaved a sigh of relief. He adjusted his glasses as he turned to Hinata and said, "Did she say anything about Hokage-sama and the children's whereabouts, Hinata-sama?"

"They're underground," Hinata said. "Which would explain why I could not locate them, even with my Byakugan." She went over to the bushes that Shizuka had pointed to, and she pulled at the dense undergrowth. Kaede gasped, and they all stared into the crevice hidden deep within the rocks behind the bushes.

"An entrance to an underground cavern," Udon said, eyeglasses glinting. "This particular entrance might be connected to the entrance to the Caverns of Death—like a back door to it, maybe."

"By the entrance to the Caverns of Death—that was right where the Hidden Cloud ninjas attacked you," Kaede said to Shizuka, half-querying.

Shizuka nodded. "We were cut off from the other academy teachers," she said, "And the Hidden Cloud ninjas drove us to the cave entrance. Hokage-sama and Yuzuki-sensei fought them off, and we had to retreat to the caverns. But we got lost—"

"Or rather, Yuzuki made sure you got lost." Konohamaru snorted, unable to suppress his derision.

Shizuka only looked down at the ground, and said nothing.

Hinata took a step inside the cavern, and motioned for her team to follow. They stopped a little distance from the entrance, and they listened for any sound in the caverns, anything that could lead them to the children.

But there was nothing, only a deafening silence. There was nothing to be seen, either, only the darkness.

"That's not necessary, Kaede," Hinata said, as Kaede held up her hand, about to shoot fire through her fingertips. Kaede put down her hand, and they waited for their eyes to adjust to the darkness.

That was when Hinata started performing the hand seals for her Byakugan. She sighed. This was going to be difficult, because even her Byakugan had difficulty piercing through darkness, but she had to try.

"The passageway splits from here," she finally said, after several seconds of observation. "Seven of the children are hiding behind some rocks about a meter from the first opening. No sign of the Yuzuki there. No sign of anyone in the second passageway, either, but it leads into this large cavern—"

She suddenly started, whirling around to face her teammates. "Udon," she said, and Udon stared at her, noting that her hands were shaking, despite the seeming calmness in her manner. "Take Shizuka-chan, and go to the children hiding in the first passageway. Kaede, Konohamaru, come with me. I've found Yuzuki."

They all finally understood, and nodded. Konohamaru even managed a grin.

Udon and Shizuka went off into the other direction, while the three of them headed towards the second passageway, discussing their strategy as they went along. They stopped at the opening towards the cavern, giving Konohamaru enough time to perform a shielding _jutsu_ for them all, rendering them invisible for the time being.

"Ready?" Hinata murmured.

"Hai, Hinata-sensei."

"All set here too, Hinata-neechan."

"All right. Move out—you know the plan." Although her heart was still thumping wildly in her chest, Hinata couldn't help but smile at the determination she heard in her two teammates' voices. "Good luck to us all, then."

An agonized cry greeted them as they entered the cavern. Hinata resisted the impulse to run forward to the child who had cried out—for she had recognized that child's voice.

_Hatsue, my child_, she thought, fighting back tears as she stood her ground. _Be strong._

She went to her position, behind the tall, silver-haired young man that was Genei Yuzuki. He was chuckling quietly as he watched Hinata's daughter struggle to stand up.

"Still standing up, eh, Hatsue-chan?" he said. He cupped Hatsue's chin in his hand, and he continued, "You need not be so stubborn. Or do you really wish to follow your father into a death as horrible as his?"

"My father is still alive," Hatsue said, through gritted teeth. Blood flowed freely from several wounds she had all over her body, but her blue eyes were unwavering as she glared at Yuzuki. She pushed him away. She tightened her grip on her kunai, as she stood over her already unconscious classmates.

Yuzuki clicked his tongue. "Move out of the way, Hatsue-chan," he said, pleasantly. "I promise, it'll be quick, and painless. Just allow me to finish my mission."

"I have a mission, too," Hatsue spat. "And that is to protect everyone."

"Does it please you, to pretend that you're already a true ninja?" Yuzuki looked amused. "All because you've already graduated from the academy? Well—I'll play along. Look at it this way—at least you get to die in battle, just as if you're already a _real _ ninja." He smirked, and raised his kunai.

_Now!_ Hinata gave the signal, a sharp, piercing whistle. Yuzuki whirled around at the sound, and at that moment, Konohamaru threw three smoke bombs at him. The smoke engulfed them, obscuring their vision. Hinata could still see perfectly, however. She clasped her hands and began to chant the _jutsu_ they had planned, to restrain Yuzuki.

"'Okaachan!" Hatsue screamed, as the _jutsu _successfully hit Yuzuki. He wouldn't be able to move now, and they could get the children to safety—

Suddenly, Hinata gasped.

What she had hit turned back into what it really was—a mere piece of rock. _Kawarimi no Jutsu!_ she thought, too late. She heard Konohamaru and Kaede both cry out, and she saw them crash into rocks at opposite sides of the cavern.

She shook her head, unable to believe it. Their plan had failed…

After what seemed like an eternity, the smoke finally cleared, and Hinata could only stare at Konohamaru and Kaede, both out cold on the cold stone floor. Yuzuki stood in front of her, smirking. He looked at Hatsue, who was right behind him, lying still on the ground. He grabbed Hatsue by the hair and lifted her off the ground.

"Let her go," Hinata said, hands shaking. She glared at Yuzuki, gripping her kunai.

"Or what, Hinata-sama?" he said, deeply sardonic. He shrugged, and let go of Hatsue, and she landed on the ground, face down. "But I guess you're right. It'll do me much more good if I fight you and bring your body back to the Hidden Cloud shinobi. They're still interested in you—or rather, in your Byakugan. Remember when they tried to kidnap you before?"

"I do remember," Hinata murmured. "They did not succeed then, nor will you succeed now."

"That was different," Yuzuki said, off-handedly. "You had your father to save you then, from what I heard. But no one's coming to save you now."

"Naruto—" Hinata hesitated, but she went on. "Naruto will come."

"He won't, Hinata-sama," Yuzuki said. "He's dead."

"I don't believe that!"

"He's not coming, Okaachan," Hatsue said weakly, from where she lay on the ground. Yuzuki glanced briefly at her, but he looked away, attention focused on Hinata.

"See? Even your fiery daughter has given up," Yuzuki said. "So like her father, isn't she?"

"Why did you do this, Yuzuki?" Hinata said softly. "Why act as a double agent for Hidden Cloud? These children were your students in the academy. They all trusted you—Hokage-sama as well..."

"That is exactly is why I was able to pull all of this off," Yuzuki said. "Konoha has become weak—wasting all its efforts on achieving peace, when all the other countries are so intent on war. We're getting left behind, Hinata-sama! The village needs to be taught this important lesson, Hinata-sama. Konoha _will _suffer in the hands of Hidden Cloud for a while, and Hokage-sama will die... but in the end, you'll see that I'm right. We will become strong, once more."

"Strong, with you as head of Konoha."

"But of course."

"Not if we stop you," Hinata said, white eyes blazing.

"Really now, Hinata-_sama_," Yuzuki said, almost spitting out the 'sama' as he spoke. "How are you two going to stop me, when you're both going to die?"

Yuzuki laughed, and lunged at Hinata, kunai poised to strike her heart—

But chakra began to flow behind him—and too late, he realized that a _jutsu_ was being activated. He stopped in his tracks, struggling against what felt like invisible ropes.

"What—!"

Hinata grinned at him, and turned back to who she really was—Hatsue. 'Hatsue' in turn, nodded, and turned back to Hinata.

"You—" Yuzuki still struggled to get free from the _jutsu _on him. "You both switched! So you could throw this jutsu at me! When—and how—?"

"We have other ways of communication, aside from verbal speech," Hinata said softly. "You, as a ninja should know that."

"Or maybe _you're_ the one who's really weak, Yuzuki-sensei?" Hatsue smirked.

Hinata now stood in front of Yuzuki, and she moved into a fighting stance, her pale eyes seeming to gleam, even in the darkness of the cavern.

"What are you going to do?" Yuzuki desperately searched for a way out of the jutsu that binded him, but he remained immobile, unable to get free.

"Giving you a taste of your own medicine, Yuzuki-sensei," Hatsue said, grinning as she watched her mother.

"Do you think this can stop me?" Yuzuki screamed at her. "Even Hokage-sama could not. And he's not coming to save you this time!"

"I know that," Hinata said. Hatsue looked at her, eyes widening.

"Okaachan," she exclaimed, "You're not saying—"

"He's not coming," Hinata said again, very softly, but with an edge in her tone that Hatsue rarely heard in her. "Because this time it's the other way around. _I'm _the one who came to save him."

Hinata pulled her hand back, and directed three blows at Yuzuki. The blows seemed weak, but it was enough. Yuzuki fell to the ground, still conscious, but only barely so.

"Now his chakra channels are sealed off," Hinata said to her daughter, holding her close. "He won't be able to harm us, at least until we get back to the village."

Yuzuki was now defeated, and the children were saved. But her mission was far from over.

She looked at Yuzuki, and demanded, "Where is Hokage-sama?"

And suddenly, someone else spoke, right behind them.

"Right here, Hinata."

Mother and daughter both turned, and Hinata suddenly felt her throat go dry.

Uzumaki Naruto, Sixth Hokage of the Hidden Village of Konoha, grinned at his wife and daughter as he leaned on the rocks at the entrance to the cavern. Blood flowed freely from his left side, and his suit was torn in several pieces. But his eyes, blue like his daughter's,were still sparkling with mirth.

"Otouchan!" Hatsue exclaimed, and now she began to cry. She ran to her father, sobbing and laughing at the same time. "You made it!"

"Of course I made it," Naruto said, playfully punching his daughter on the head. He lifted her up, and carried her on his back. "I'm _the _Uzumaki Naruto, aren't I? So why would I not make it?"

"Because you're an idiot, Naruto-niichan." Konohamaru was finally conscious now, and he was limping over to them, with Kaede supporting him. "You really had us worried!"

"Well, as I said, you shouldn't have worried," Naruto said proudly, but as he spoke, he swayed a little, and he covered his head with one hand.

"Hokage-sama—" Kaede began, but Hinata hastily shook her head at her.

Naruto recovered his balance, and put Hatsue down. "Konohamaru," he said, "Take her and the other children to safety, will you? I'll take care of Yuzuki."

"I'll stay, Naruto," Hinata murmured, putting a hand on his shoulder. He threw her a brief look filled with gratitude, and he nodded.

"Go get yourselves patched up," Naruto said to Konohamaru and Kaede, his expression stern. Konohamaru just laughed at him, and he and Kaede left, with the other children in tow.

Hatsue lingered for a few moments, but after Naruto reassured her that they would be back soon, she finally followed the others out of the cavern.

"And don't worry, I'll be treating you and your mother to a ramen at Ichiraku after this, all right?" Naruto called after her. Hatsue grinned at that and waved goodbye.

When everyone had left, Naruto put a hand over his eyes again, and suddenly held on to Hinata's arm.

"Naruto," she said. "They've all gone."

"Good," he whispered, "I didn't think I could hold on much longer—"

He finally closed his eyes, and fell—straight into her arms.

She gulped back the sudden lump that rose to her throat, and she put him gently down on the floor. She placed her hands on his chest, hastily murmuring a healing _jutsu_, knowing, as she had known from the beginning, that all she was doing could be too late.

He could never be invincible, try though he might to hide it from his daughter, from Konohamaru, and even from the whole village. But he never tried to hide it from her, for she was the only one that he could trust with the knowledge that he, the legendary Sixth Hokage of Konoha, was not infallible.

Which was why she alone knew that Naruto was now dying.

_There is very little hope that Hokage-sama is still alive, _Hyuga Neji had said. _You, of all people, should know that, being a Medical Nin yourself. You know that no one can ever make it, under circumstances such as this…_

_But we need not be worried, do we, Hinata-sama? _Neji had suddenly smiled at her then, a smile she once thought would never be directed at her. _You and Naruto—you've always been able to beat the odds. He can live through whatever attack they throw at him._

_And if he couldn't…you'd make it in time to save him, Hinata-sama. You are the only one who could be able to pull him back, here, where he's needed…_

Naruto suddenly gasped as air rushed back into his lungs, and his eyes shot open. He sought her face, and as his eyes met hers he relaxed, letting his breath out slowly.

"Hinata," he said, a corner of his lip turning up in a lopsided grin. "Thanks."

"Naruto," was all Hinata was able to say, feeling for a second like the shy little girl of twelve she once had been. The lump in her throat appeared again, but this time, she let the tears flow, as she put her arms around her husband.

"So why are you crying now, when everything's all right?" Naruto chided her. "You really _are_ strange, Hinata." He smiled at that, and also put her arms around her.

"I just…I…" Hinata lifted her face from Naruto's shirt, and she wiped at her face, sweat mixed with tears. "I knew you'd make it, but I—"

"You shouldn't have doubted yourself, Hinata," he said. "I certainly didn't."

The alarm from her radio suddenly sounded, and both she and Naruto jumped. Naruto laughed sheepishly at that, and Hinata brought her radio out, and said, "Hinata here."

"Hinata-sama?" Neji's voice came blaring out of the speakers. "We've already found the children and your team, and we're taking them to the village now. The Hidden Cloud have been safely driven from our borders—for now, at least. What of Hokage-sama? And Yuzuki?"

Hinata and Naruto glanced back at Yuzuki, who was now out cold in one corner of the cavern. Naruto nodded at her, and she said to the radio, "Everything's fine, Neji-niisan. Mission accomplished."

"That's good to hear. We'll be sending some of the others to assist you. Over and out."

Hinata stood up, and she turned towards Naruto, waiting. He was, as he was wont to do, grinning widely at her, his blue eyes sparkling—but now, it was not just with mirth, as with a while ago—this time, it was with life, and she was the one who gave it back to him.

_Mission accomplished_. The thought echoed in Hinata's head, and she smiled at that. Now, her mission truly was over.

She held her hand out for her husband, and still grinning, he took her hand into his own.

---End---

_Author's Notes:_

_ Yay! After a whole year of not being able to finish any piece of fanfiction at all, I'm finally back. With a fic for my favorite Naruto pairing (the only one I'm a rabid fangirl of)—Naruto/Hinata! _

_First of all, I'd like to thank my beta-readers: **Melpomene Melancholica**, and **Midnightcrow**. (To MidnightCrow: I'm sorry I wasn't able to integrate all of the changes you proposed. I'll explain why in my writing journal…;) _

_I'm sure you noticed that I didn't elaborate too much on Shizuka's past, and why she did such a thing, because I'm going to explain that later on in a companion fic, which is temporarily entitled, "The Betrayal". (Guess what the pairing for that fic's going to be. XD) I hope I _do_ get to write that soon, because I'm a really slow writer…_

_btw, Yoshino Kaede is _**not**_ my original character…she was introduced in that one filler episode in the anime…she's the girl Konohamaru likes, and I thought it'll be cute to bring them back together here. Udon is also _**not**_ an original character, as he's the bespectacled guy who was in Konohamaru's "team" introduced in one part of the series. Thanks, btw, to **Zedblade** for giving me his name._

_Anyway, comments? Violent reactions? Feel free to review, please… _


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